"Moorestown": Intel reaches for the smartphone market
Battery runtimes like those of the ARM competition become possible
Intel presented its latest Atom-based processor platform yesterday, Tuesday evening. The architecture developed under the code name "Moorestown" is not least a challenge to ARM chips. "Intel has provided its first product that opens the door to the smartphone market for Intel architecture," said Anand Chandrasekher, Intel Senior VP and General Manager of the Ultra Mobility Group.
{jumi [plugins/content/jumi/newsgrafik.php]}
The attack on an area that is currently reserved for ARM-based processors should be made possible by the platform with the Atom-Z6xx processor series through significantly increased energy efficiency. At the start of the platform, Intel is showing the prototype of a corresponding 3,8-inch smartphone. Intel is also targeting the currently emerging tablet market.
Aava device: Prototype for Intel's smartphone attack (Photo: intel.com)
Leap in efficiency
The new platform consists of the Atom Z6xx processor series, the Platform Controller Hub MP20 and a dedicated mixed-signal IC circuit. Compared to the first generation of the Atom platform ("Menlow"), this combination promises significantly lower power consumption. According to Intel, the power consumption is more than 50 times lower when idling. Even with video applications it is reduced by a factor of two to three. The two new deep sleep modes S0i1 and S0i3 are also used.
Overall, according to the company, battery runtimes are possible that can keep up with the ARM-based competition in the high-end smartphone segment. With a battery capacity of 1.500 mAh, the standby time is over ten days. According to Intel, the talk time when using 3G cellular is six hours. That would actually be comparable to smartphones such as current BlackBerry models.
Unknown territory
For the smartphone segment, Intel relies on Atom CPUs with clock rates of up to 1,5 gigahertz (GHz). These are also used in the smartphone prototype from the Finnish company Aava. The x86 architecture is thus entering a segment in which it had previously played no role. Because mobile phones are the stronghold of ARM architecture. It is used in various current smartphone chips such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon.
According to Intel, the platform is suitable for a large number of operating systems. The Aava device, for example, runs on Android or Intel's Linux variant Moblin. Of course, the MeeGo presented at the MWC with Nokia is also supported. The Atom-Z6xx series will also be used in tablets. For this market segment, Intel offers chips with a clock frequency of up to 1,9 GHz.(ck)
.